Monday, November 15, 2010

Just the name alone makes him worth a look

Starting pitcher:
M.C. O'Connor

Brandon Belt is a much better name for a first baseman than Homer Bailey is for a pitcher. Imagine if his name was Homer Belt--that's serious All-Name Team material. Anyway, there's a buzzing down the intertubes regarding the Giants young first baseman because John Sickels at Minor League Ball rated him an "A-" prospect and said he was "totally legitimate." Not just "legitimate" but "totally" legitimate! Dudes! He's a former Texas Longhorn and was a 5th-round pick in 2009 (147th overall). Here's another piece on Belt from a scouting site.

8 comments:

Everything that I've seen or heard about Brandon Belt makes him seem like tomorrow's Will Clark, with the additional facet of a bit of speed - obviously, that is a very, very good thing. My only concern is that there are some who are saying that he should be our everyday 1B in 2011 & that that should impact how we negotiate (or don't) with Aubrey Huff - that may be a bit premature.

I would like us to forget about Brandon Belt during our negotiations with Huff. Whether or not Belt does come up to the big leagues at some point in 2011, Huff is a very versatile player & an important presence on our team. We have question marks in the OF (DeRosa, Burrell, Rowand), & we don't know whether or not we have a viable 3B. I'm not saying that we should give Huff everything, but I'm saying that Belt's presence should not a factor in the discussions. We need Huff, with or without Belt.

On a completely different note & regarding a sport that I do not follow at all, I am so pissed off at Cal's kicker. What a jackass. Living up here, I am so sick of the chest-puffing Oregon Duck fans. They have the most patsy schedule ever, they haven't beaten ANYONE legitimate, but their fans are self-righteously proclaiming them as the #1 team. In total seriousness, one radio commentator predicted that they'd score 60 on Cal & that 100 points against OSU was a real possibility. Cal had a great chance to knock them off of their self-constructed pedestal. Instead, thanks to a bizarre penalty, despite barely beating a poor Cal team, they are ranked even higher??? The next few weeks here are going to be unbearable. Thank goodness, we are going to be in the Bay Area & Mexico for part of that period.

I'd like to see Huff come back, but unfortunately he may ask for too much. He's a free agent, had close to a career year on a WS winner, it would not surprise me if he got and took a better offer from another club. We have to be prepared for the fact that we could have a different 1B next season. Belt will likely be our starter in 2012, so how long do you committ to an aging veteran?

This is the nice sort of dilemma. While I would love to see Huff as the Giants' everyday first baseman for as long as he wants to be, I would also love to once again see a young stud farmhand arise and become a star. Maybe we can have our cake and eat it in this case. It's unknown whether Belt will make the team right away, and highly doubtful he would already be able to outright beat Huff for the starting job. Whereas Huff seems to be an adequate LF, I see that as the position where the team could most easily make a major upgrade. I can't name names, but I'm sure there are any number of youngish outfielders with speed and a good OBP. We don't need a superstar, just someone who can give us 20 homers and 20 steals.Anyway, if Belt is as good as advertised, the decision will probably become obvious.As for PAC 10 football, I didn't go to Cal but 3 sibs did, including the good doctor JC, so I always root for the Bears. It would have been sweet for them to upset the Ducks. My best friend is a USC alum and a devout fan, and he thinks it's swell when any team from the conference does well. Except for UCLA of course. A few weeks ago we watched the USC/Stanford game on TV. This is perhaps the only time each year I actually root for USC. Stanford is looking great this year. Shit.

You actually root for USC? And the doggers too on some special occasions I guess.

Anyway: Belt, Brandon.

I'm not sure what the big push for outfielders is all about. Not even considering Huff and DeRosa, we got (presumably) Schierholtz, Rowand, Torres, Burrell, Ross. Sure, I wouldn't mind an upgrade, but it does not strike me as the needy position. We should not sign Huff for as long as he wants, we should offer him a couple of years, maybe with options. Of course we might get out-bid, that is always an option. Remember though that no one wanted some of these guys (Huff, Ross) so the idea that there might be a bidding war is a bit of a stretch. Huff had a good year, it may factor into some other team's plans. However, the Giants should be able to put together a reasonable offer. Huff and Uribe are the primary targets, then fill in the blanks. I would not mind pursuing a free agent if a good, young one were available, again, at a reasonable price.

Buster is awesome & deserves the award. Catcher is a much more difficult position than RF, & his run production numbers per PA were better than Heyward. Heyward is a great player, but I thought that Jaime Garcia got sort of lost in the shuffle. He had a fine season. All-in-all, including the AL, a great crop of rookies.